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The Cyclist, Balham, SW12
SW12
SW12 9BP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
Steve of N21 left this review about The Cyclist
For those of us of a certain age who were brought up in North London, our image of Balham is forever clouded by the Peter Sellers early 70’s excellent spoof travel documentary, “Balham, Gateway to the South”, as an area to be feared and best avoided.
But the gentrification that started creeping down the Northern line in the early 2000’s and really started to accelerate from 2010 onwards with the influx of the young, upwardly mobile, has changed the place from all recognition from the Balham of my youth, and nothing epitomises that more than this place.
This is a former LEB showroom ( youngsters will have to Google that acronym) and spent time as a camping and sports equipment shop for a period I believe, before being converted into one of the first original ‘Moon under Water’ Wetherspoons in 1993. Reviews below show it wasn’t a particularly good one and served more as a social and community hub for the elder demographic clinging on in the area, until 2018 when Mullet Man saw the writing on the wall and pulled the plug on it.
What we have now is a self-styled ‘modern British pub’, which has all the hipster trappings you could wish for. No ale of course, but copious adverts for craft beers, small-batch gins and artisan wines. The Wetherspoons laminated card of microwaved delights has been replaced by a vegan-friendly menu and gastropub classics. Pig’s cheeks with peas and ‘nduja or spiced aubergine with coconut yoghurt anyone? Or perhaps the Daily special of chorizo with harissa-spiced chickpea purée is more your thing.
I ventured in here as it is now run by the Urban Pubs and Bars Group and I don’t tend to mind their places, despite no longer being the target demographic for their modern interiors, but I really didn’t warm to this one. With the interior well described by the previous reviewers I was getting more modern kitchen and bar than any decent pub vibe and will also agree that the available craft selection is quite pedestrian, even compared to some of their other nearby outlets. It was attracting a fair few of the target demographic, but it didn’t attract me and I soon moved on to some of their other nearby more traditional pubs that still exist in this part of town.
On 6th December 2025
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2315 recommendations about 2166 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Cyclist
Described outside as a " modern pub" this shop conversion has a lot of exterior seating to the front with dubious views of Balham High Road.Inside is L shaped with lots of high tables infront of the bar,industrial ducting on the ceiling and a very long high bench seat running down the right wall with a series of two seater tables.Beyond a small open kitchen is a laid for dining area,a mix of small banquettes and low backed seating booths in modern colours.Parquet flooring throughout but I was expecting more decoration on the cyclist theme rather than just a few nods in that general direction.
The muzak was hip and the food menu offered modern cuisine with a few lunch deals around £13,otherwise a median main of £17.At the bar no real ale just 10 keg taps with some craft options(Signature Brew,Brixton) some mainstream choices and all a bit pedestrian and safe.My Brixton Atlantic APA was far too cold to properly enjoy the strength and hop depth.
It's aimed at the younger drinker and no doubt the Saturday DJ draws that sort of crowd but on my Friday lunctime visit there was a motley assortment of middle aged Guiness drinkers,young couples,single women eating tofu and a pub ticker .I wont be rushing back.
On 4th May 2024
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3078 recommendations about 3078 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Cyclist
Previously a branch of Wetherspoons, this is now a large, open plan bar and eatery with the kind of nondescript, everyman decor that will suit young cocktail drinkers and older coffee sippers in equal measure. The room has a nice parquet floor, whitewashed brick walls and a ceiling almost entirely obscured by ugly utilities. The bar is to the rear left and has a very plain wood panelled counter, painted in gastro-grey, in front of a sparkly mirrored bar back. There are loads of tables and chairs in the front part of the room, some spilling out through the bi-fold doors onto a pavement-side space, whilst padded banquette booths run down the right-hand wall, each with an unusual partitioning screen between. The room opens out down this side of the room into what felt like a rear dining area full of basic tables and chairs. There are loads of pictures on the walls, with an overarching cycling theme, whilst sprigs of flowers on each table added some colour and a few decorative lampshades, that looked a bit like tatty skirts, brought the visual distraction. A dull ambient-chill soundtrack played in the background throughout our stay.
Unfortunately, there's no cask ale here, although six craft kegs from the likes of Camden, Two Tribes and Beavertown ensure a bit of variety to the selection. The friendly Irish barman served up a passable pint of Little Creatures Pale Ale and we enjoyed sitting out on the pavement watching people rushing to and from the nearby station.
I thought this was a pretty run of the mill pub, straddling the line between an old-school drinking barn and a contemporary mass-appeal bar. The presence of some real ale would have been an added bonus and I left here expecting to have pretty much forgotten about the place within a week or two and would suggest it probably did a better job when it was a ‘Spoons.
On 22nd November 2022
- rating: 4
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Cyclist
Actually it advertises itself as a "Modern British Pub". Unfortunately a true boast, and accurate I guess as there are now loads of these madeover modern pubs, but not necessarily a good thing as I don't reckon you can beat a traditional British pub. Tradition trumps modernity as far as pubs go - in my opinion anyway.
There are no real ales of course, but a handful of keg fonts on the counter to the left offer what is probably described as "craft" beer. A half of Beavertown Neck Oil was £3. You won't get much pub grub in here either; I did see "beer-battered North Sea haddock, triple-cooked chips, tartare sauce, mushy peas" advertised though.
The room is J-shaped, with the area at the back on the right having all tables laid for diners. As you might expect there's exposed brickwork all over the place; ugly metal ducting covering the ceiling; and some dark greeny-blue paintwork. The drinking area has a mix of tall tables/tall stools and normal tables and chairs. There are no surprises here. It was doing a busy trade when I dropped in at around 6.45 PM on a Wednesday, so they must be doing something right. Not really my sort of place though.
On 16th February 2020
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2612 recommendations about 2526 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Philip Carter left this review about The Cyclist
Just popped in to get a quick look. Brighter than when it was Moon Under Water. Couldn't see any real ale taps. Says on the outside "Proper British Pub" I think I got the words correct.
On 23rd May 2019
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 759 recommendations about 721 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
Quite a small spoons with a fairly formulaic layout as you would expect. Eight handpumps with five beers on offer, Doom Bar, Abbot, Sneck Lifter, Ascot 5/4 Favourite and Oakham Citra which was to be fair rather good.Would I choose to return? No, but a rare example of a Spoons I rate higher than Aqualung (but only just).
On 13th June 2018
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2241 recommendations about 2206 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
A small and fairly dingy 'Spoon's, not helped by the dark wood. Interestingly some of the tables fold down, so it must get busy at times, but not much to commend it apart from some good beer.
On 22nd September 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3846 recommendations about 3778 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
Small Spoons with the bar left central. Space all round. Usual ale selection. One plus point - the toilets are on the ground floor!
On 28th August 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
This is another typical shop conversion, and on my visit today was quite disappointing.
It was surprisingly busy for pre-midday and things seemed to be getting on top of the staff with two unused pumps, food plates that needed dealing with and glasses that needed collecting from the tables.
The two unused pumps plus the two usual GK offerings and the boring uninvited guest Doombar left just three possibilities. These were Exmoor Gold along with two Clarence & Frederick's Locale beers. I went for the C&F IPA (£2.60) which is pricey for a Spoons and was only in very average condition.
This is not the worst Spoons I've been to but must be in the bottom 10.
On 17th August 2013
- rating: 3
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Moon Under Water (JD Wetherspoon)
This is one of the smaller 'spoons I have visited, a typical shop conversion resulting in a L-shaped room. The pub carries the early Wetherspoon's name, given to a fair few and well noted here with a framed list of the terms and conditions of George Orwell's vision of the perfect pub. The philanthrope may well turn in his grave if he saw some of the places now celebrating his vision.
Full on Saturday of all day drinkers, the often down at heel cheap venue feeling being as present here in easily as much as any of the chain I have ventured into. There were however 5 festival beers on and my Robinson's offering was top notch.
Lots of wood panelling, local tales in frames such as a mysterious murder of Charles Bravo locally years ago plus once local resident Margaret Rutherford.
Doors to the rear lead to a pretty dismal service yard area where smoking is allowed until 10pm.
On 20th April 2013
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1710 recommendations about 1683 pubs]